The Cornflower Witch

Two days later, a special train departed from Candela, heading south along the western route, straight for the place where several weeks earlier a support train had derailed.

After receiving supplies in northern Candela and the storm subsiding, the Alliance Council began discussing how to deal with the plesiosaur-like dragon blocking the western line. Rather than temporarily mobilizing personnel from other locations, it would be more efficient to gather the crew from the various returning support trains and eliminate this monster.

This train carried no low-ranking soldiers; instead, it assembled all the elites from the previous support trains, including seven master-level figures, twenty-four Fifth Tier expert-level figures, and several hundred Fourth Tier elites. Moreover, to counter the dragon, the train had requisitioned twelve Sixth Tier war machines from Candela—a truly luxurious lineup.

In total, there were about nineteen Sixth Tier combatants. With this kind of power besieging a Sixth Tier dragon, surely they would succeed.

The train sped along. The several masters on board gathered together, and the elites also converged to discuss the specific details of the dragon-hunting campaign.

Master Ge Zhen, an expert in the field of paleontology, stood at the front of the carriage. He lightly waved the lightweight Staff in his hand, and a rough image and data of the plesiosaur-like dragon appeared on the whiteboard behind him.

"Dragons have been the rulers of the world since the Sixth Epoch. Their power is etched into the bloodlines of countless creatures. Over tens of thousands of years, to counter these mighty dragons, every race has accumulated much experience and many lessons. Especially during the Eighth Epoch, specialized weapons and blades for killing dragons were created."

"The Fairies forged twelve Dragon-Slaying Swords, entrusting them to different heroes—every single one a figure recorded in history. The human sages jointly created seven Dragon-Slaying Spears. The Beastmen's ancient Shamans also united to forge three Dragon-Slaying Battle Axes that awakened bloodlines."

"The blessings, engravings, and protections applied to these weapons are now unimaginable and irreproducible. In the subsequent campaigns to hunt dragons, they all played roles that cannot be overlooked."

"After the great war, most of these legendary weapons were damaged. The remaining five blades were later destroyed by the decree of the Corona Dragon, no longer known to the world."

"Although these legendary dragon-slaying weapons can no longer be found, some hidden materials about their creation were still preserved at the cost of the Scholars' lives. In the centuries following the Alliance's establishment, these materials were discovered, carefully collected, and organized."

"I am fortunate to have participated in the research of these ancient secret methods and to have learned two dragon-slaying techniques. I will now briefly teach them to you. While you cannot possibly master them instantly, merely understanding this knowledge can increase your chances of victory when facing a dragon."

"The first secret technique, 'Blooming Thorn Sacred Sword: Tuchittika,' is a special secret method transcribed from the Fairies' Sacred Sword 'Tuchittika.' It can display a portion of that legendary sword's power, used to break through the indestructible defense of dragon scales."

"This secret method has a total of seventeen parts, with two hundred and thirty-four Fairy cyclic Runes as protection. It also includes various knowledge of plants and flowers. If you haven't deeply studied plant and horticulture-related knowledge before, mastering this technique will be very difficult."

"Then there is the second secret method, 'Piercing Eye Spear: Blooddraz.' This is a special secret method transcribed from the Divine Spear 'Blooddraz' jointly forged by the human sages of that time. It can display a portion of that dragon-slaying divine spear's power, mainly used to break through the terrifying suppression of dragon might."

"This secret method has a total of twenty-one parts, with three hundred and forty-seven ancient Rune protections. It includes considerable knowledge of decree-based studies, star domains, and bloodlines. If you haven't studied these skills before, it will also be hard to understand and master."

"Now, I will briefly introduce both sets of secret techniques. Then, I will extract a small portion of the protections from each and teach them to you in a strengthened manner, so you can use them in the upcoming battle."

Afterward, Master Ge Zhen devoted himself entirely to teaching and lecturing, while the other members below absorbed this precious knowledge like thirsty sponges.

To counter dragons, the ancient sages of that era had each pulled out their ultimate trump cards. These secret techniques were like keys hidden in the dust of history, stringing together the theoretical knowledge of different schools from that era, revealing but a glimpse of the full picture.

Among them, the Rune protections of 'Blooming Thorn Sacred Sword: Tuchittika' utilized various rituals of the ancient Fairies, maximizing the magnification of phenomena like the sprouting of buds and the thorns of roses. This meant that once the protected sacred sword pierced a dragon's body, the wound would bloom open like a bud, continuously tearing the dragon scales, leaving a curse that could never heal.

As for the protections of 'Piercing Eye Spear: Blooddraz,' they also incorporated the theories of the ancient Swan King, alongside numerous bloodline-awakening and decree-based protections. These could mobilize one's own bloodline power and the rank solidified by royal authority, used to counter the suppression of dragon might, and to utilize the power of another world to evade the suppression, penetrating the terrifying pressure brought by the Dragon Eye.

The user of that secret method would certainly need to be a ruler for the effect to be significantly enhanced. It was said that in the Sixth Epoch, the wielder of that sacred spear was not the emperor of the empire at the time.

In just a day or two, Master Ge Zhen didn't expect everyone present to fully master these two secret techniques. Even he himself couldn't fully execute them, because the conditions they required were quite stringent. However, although they couldn't perform the complete techniques, he could quickly teach everyone a substitute version.

【Spell: Blooming Thorn Protection】: Can be attached to weapons and shooting magic, enhancing the armor-piercing effect against dragon scales. (Dragon Scale Armor Piercing +1)

【Spell: Dragon Might Resistance】: Can enhance one's own resistance to the suppression of dragon might. (Dragon Might Resistance +1)

By learning these, everyone could gain a '+1' resistance, which translates to approximately 30% more damage and about 30% increased resistance to dragon might.

If one could master it proficiently, they could probably gain a 'Dragon Scale Armor Piercing +2' and 'Dragon Might Resistance +2' effect, which would be an increase of about 60%.

If Master Welsa or Master Hiden were to use them, they could probably achieve a '+3' effect. As for Master Ge Zhen, the technique he had mastered was no longer this kind of inferior substitute; it was far more powerful.

If one could truly fully master these legendary secret methods, the effects would be far greater than this.

【Blooming Thorn Sacred Sword: Tuchittika】: Display the power of the Sacred Sword 'Tuchittika,' gaining a powerful dragon-slaying force. (Dragon Scale Armor Piercing +12, Dragon Might Ignore +7, Devouring and Biting Dragon Curse +9)

【Piercing Eye Spear: Blooddraz】: Display the power of the Divine Spear 'Blooddraz,' gaining a powerful dragon-slaying force. (Dragon Might Resistance +15, Star Bolt Pierce +10, Dragon Flame Protection +7)

Time ticked by minute by minute. The train rumbled on relentlessly, but the members on board had no mind to look at the scenery outside the window. Instead, they were immersed in the study of this ancient knowledge.

In a corner at the back of the carriage, Sylutia sat by the window, continuously writing line after line of notes on the pages before her. In her mind, she simultaneously simulated the details and essence of the ancient secret techniques, attempting to construct them again and again, deepening her understanding.

Even for a genius like her, learning these two secret techniques felt profound and obscure. No wonder Master Ge Zhen had admitted that even he could not fully execute them.

The crystallized wisdom of the ancient sages was simply impossible to fully comprehend in just a day or two.